Under 35 U.S.C. 261 and 262 and 15
U.S.C. 1057 and 1060, the USPTO records patent and trademark
assignment documents that show the transfer of ownership of
applications, patents, and trademark registrations from one entity
to another. The USPTO provides cover sheets to ensure all the
necessary assignment data is submitted for accurate recording. In
order to file a request to record an assignment, the respondent
must submit an appropriate cover sheet along with copies of the
assignment documents to be recorded and payment of the appropriate
fee. The recorded documents are available for public inspection,
except for those documents that are sealed under secrecy orders or
related to unpublished patent applications.
The adjustments reported for
this information collection are due to an overall net increase in
expected filings for patent and trademark assignment requests. This
net increase in filings includes an expected increase in electronic
filings that is partially offset by an expected decrease in paper
filings. The program changes reported for this information
collection are due to a change in electronic filing technology used
by the USPTO. Previously, customers could also submit patent
assignment recordation requests securely over the Internet using
special electronic filing software that was developed by the USPTO.
Particularly large recordation requests that were prepared using
the software could be copied onto a recordable compact disc (CD)
and then submitted to the USPTO by mail. Since the USPTO has
retired this electronic filing software in favor of the web-based
filing system, the corresponding modes of submission are being
deleted from this collection.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.